


Fanning the Flames

by Heart_Seoul_Soshi



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-07
Updated: 2018-04-07
Packaged: 2019-04-19 14:21:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14239146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heart_Seoul_Soshi/pseuds/Heart_Seoul_Soshi
Summary: "Mal, are you worried you might...hurt me? M, you know you would never."Mal slowly turned her head on a shaky sigh, trying to meet Evie's eyes but ducking her gaze down ashamedly."E, fire is volatile. It's fueled by impulse, and passion...both things that I feel with you. So when you and I are together, and I have these feelings...my powers could come alive."





	Fanning the Flames

**Author's Note:**

> from an anonymous request on tumblr

It was all still very, very new to Mal. Her fingertips trailing up and down Evie's arm, one hand pressed to the small of her back to keep her held close as they kissed. Softly at first, sort of experimentally. Seeing how far they dared to go this time. Mal couldn't help but smile, leaned back against her headboard with Evie in her arms. It was new for both of them, being together, but they were more than happy to learn as they went. Mal kissed her like she was made of glass; small, feather-light touches to Evie's lips, her cheek, the corners of her mouth. If someone told her a few months ago that she'd one day start making out with her best friend, she would've decked them. But then again, a few months ago no one expected she'd one day turn into a dragon, either.

Mal remembered the heat, sweltering and scorching, but without the actual swelter and scorch. She didn't feel it. The heat hadn't bothered her, the way the cold never bothered a certain young queen she'd read about somewhere. Then there was the indescribable experience of her mind being in charge of a body that wasn't hers, of being trapped behind scales and flexing leathery wings, curling dagger-like claws all through her will alone. But most of all, Mal remembered that Evie was the first thing she saw when she returned back to earth.   
  
Evie was suddenly giggling; it made Mal's smile so much brighter.  
  
"What?" she asked, playfully biting Evie's lower lip.  
  
"Your hand tickles."  
  
Mal hadn't even realized it had gone up Evie's shirt. Quickly, she drew her hand away, suddenly not so lighthearted and not so amused.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry," she hurriedly apologized.  
  
"...Sorry?" Evie's head tilted in confusion. She didn't imagine it was a thing to be sorry for.  
  
Mal put a hand on Evie's shoulder as if to lightly ease her away, but thought better of it and quickly drew that hand back too.  
  
"Maybe we should stop for now," Mal suggested.   
  
With the uneasy expression plastered across her face, "pleaded" might have been the better word. Evie was so very lost, but didn't question Mal's apparent discomfort, slipping out of her arms and putting some space between them. Mal kept herself pressed close to the headboard, hands up in front of her and studying them very intensely.  
  
Intense. Like how she'd been and how she'd felt on that very first night, at Cotillion, barreling through the sky and blasting fire through sharpened fangs.  
  
"...M? What's wrong?"  
  
Evie hoped that Mal would answer her, hoped that Mal remembered they were still best friends, first and foremost, and could tell her absolutely anything.  
  
Mal remembered.  
  
"...My powers, Evie," she softly began, eyes wide with worry as they tried to calm Mal's fears with the beautiful sight of Evie's face.  
  
The powers that didn't disappear when the dragon did. The power over fire and flame that Mal discovered still lingered in her veins even with the dragon buried deep.  
  
"...Mal."  
  
Evie carried a hint of reassurance in her voice. Mal didn't want to be reassured, she wanted to take no chances.  
  
"Evie, I don't have control over this. You've seen it happen, the flames have a mind of their own."  
  
"I think you're more in control than you realize," Evie helpfully said. "Otherwise the whole school might have been on fire by now."  
  
"Not helping," Mal grumbled.  
  
She moved to roll off the bed, but Evie caught her by the arm.  
  
"Mal, are you worried you might...hurt  _me?_  M, you know you would never."  
  
Mal slowly turned her head on a shaky sigh, trying to meet Evie's eyes but ducking her gaze down ashamedly.  
  
"E, fire is volatile. It's fueled by impulse, and passion...both things that I feel with you. So when you and I are together, and I have these feelings...my powers could come alive."  
  
Mal recalled the sight of her hands enveloped by orange, red, yellow; flickering fire dancing across her palm or weaving through her fingertips. She recalled a few occasions when she didn't even need a touch, where just being in the vicinity and having a particularly bitter thought set Chad's cape spontaneously combusting. As a designer, Evie had been mortified, but as a best friend, she tried to assure Mal that she really wasn't sad to see it go.  
  
But either way, Mal's memory had already proved her point—she was not in control of her newfound abilities. And whenever she and Evie drew close, and Mal felt the heat pricking beneath her skin, she sat and worried just how much of it was natural and how much of it was decidedly  _super_ natural.  
  
"...I'm willing to try, Mal," Evie spoke so softly.  
  
"I'm not."  
  
"I know you can control it."  
  
"I don't."  
  
Evie took Mal's hand. Mal's instinctive reaction was to pull it free, but Evie carefully twined their fingers together.  
  
"...See?" she smiled, raising their hands. "I'm okay."  
  
She brought Mal close with a single tug, gifting her a tender kiss. It only stayed tender for so long.  
  
Soon enough they were right back where they'd left off, lost in each other's arms, embraces, lost in the soft breaths and sighs that danced across one another's lips. Evie hungered, each kiss growing deeper and deeper as Mal pulled her impossibly close. They both listened to Mal's breathing quicken as her heartbeat kicked into a race, Evie's lips and Evie's body and Evie's everything muddling her senses.  
  
"Are you alright?" Evie breathed.  
  
Mal nodded fervently.  
  
"I think so."  
  
She hoped so. But she didn't let herself dwell on it, or rather, she couldn't, not with every inch of Evie pressed tight against her. Mal hadn't known heat with Evie until she had  _literally_  felt heat with Evie, and as such she had a hard time discerning what was electricity dancing playfully underneath her skin and what was actual fire readying to burst forth. Which only made her see herself as all the more dangerous. Evie felt Mal pulling away again, losing her nerve.  
  
"It doesn't control you, Mal," she whispered. "You control it."  
  
Mal still didn't want to be reassured, but it was a tough thing to not do with Evie's soft, sweet voice in her ear. Harder and more passionate they became, with Evie gripping Mal's hair, holding her tight.  
  
"I miss your dark purple," she murmured.  
  
"When Dizzy gets here I'll have her dye it again. Just for you."  
  
Another endearing giggle from Evie as Mal let her hands wander, her fingers tickling along the skin of Evie's back. It was so simple for Mal to be with her, so easy. So easy to lose her fears, lose herself.  
  
Lose control.  
  
The sharp hiss that passed through Evie's lips cut through the quiet air like a knife. Cut through Mal like a sword. Evie jerked away from her so fast it left both of them a little disoriented, but Mal needed no explanation as to what had happened.  
  
"Evie! Oh my gosh, Evie, I am so sorry!!" Mal's reflex was to reach out for Evie, comfortingly, but quickly yanked her hands back like she'd touched a hot stove.  
  
"It's okay, I'm okay," Evie tried to smile, but Mal saw the wince.  
  
"L-let me see," Mal said in a shaky voice.  
  
"It's nothing, Mal. Really."  
  
"Let me see," Mal spoke more firmly the second time around. "...Please."  
  
So Evie sighed, and sat still as Mal scooted over on the bed to lift up the back of her shirt. There it was, a glaring red mark perfectly in the shape of Mal's hand.  
  
"It was an accident," Evie shook her head, as if hearing the tumultuous thoughts racing through Mal's mind at the moment and trying to dissuade her of them.   
  
Mal looked absolutely terrified. She buried her face in her hands, almost hoping they were still burning hot so she could dole out some punishment on herself. When she dared to glance up, when she saw the soft, shimmering brown of Evie's eyes steadfastly watching her, she wanted to cry.  
  
"...I'm so sorry," she whispered.  
  
And she flinched when Evie kissed her cheek, expecting another cry or yelp of pain from her best friend.  
  
"M, it isn't as bad as you think."  
  
It really wasn't. It stung, yes, it was a frightening shade of red, but it was only one little burn. In a couple of days Evie would be all better.   
  
The two sat in silence after that, Mal lost in her thoughts and hating herself so very much in that moment. Evie continued to watch her with soft eyes, wishing Mal would listen and believe her when she said everything was alright.  
  
"...How about we just go to bed?" Evie suggested.  
  
Mal nodded, still silent, and she and Evie got up to go change into pajamas, wash faces, brush teeth. Mal didn't imagine she'd be sleeping easily, but still she pulled her covers back and solemnly crawled into bed. Without even thinking, Evie crossed the room to crawl in next to her, but stopped in her tracks when she saw the flash of trepidation flicker across Mal's face upon realizing Evie intended to sleep next to her.  
  
"...Okay," Evie quietly said. "I'll sleep in my own bed tonight."  
  
Evie didn't imagine she'd be sleeping easily either, not without Mal beside her.  
  
And it didn't just stop there.  
  
Evie had no idea what to think at breakfast the next morning, where Mal sat not next to her at the table, but across from her. Or when Evie reached for Mal's hand as they strolled to their next class across the grassy lawn, and Mal slyly angled herself out of reach. That day turned into a second day, a second day turned into yet another day. A week passed. Mal and Evie hadn't hugged, hadn't kissed, certainly hadn't made out.  
  
"...Are you just never going to let yourself touch me ever again?"   
  
Evie finally broke as she sat and sketched on her bed, while Mal sat and did homework on hers. Mal knew the question was a long time coming, and let out a heavy sigh as she readied herself to talk about it.  
  
"...Not until I get a handle on these new powers," Mal told her, keeping her eyes buried in her notebook.  
  
"And how long is that going to be?" Evie testily went on.  
  
"As long as it takes to keep from hurting you."  
  
Mal was a stubborn one. It was one of the things Evie liked about her, the way she stood firm on her opinions and beliefs and wouldn't waiver. Right now, Evie was less endeared to the quality.  
  
"Mal, I've never known you to be scared like this before..." she said. "It was nothing, M, really. The burn is gone, it's like it was never there in the first place. You really didn't hurt me at all."  
  
"Maybe not this time, E, but the next time we're together..."  
  
Mal, losing her focus, closed her notebook and set it off to the side.  
  
"...Please let me sit with you," Evie pleaded.  
  
A week apart had felt like a year. It took her a moment, but Mal let herself give a nod. So Evie came over and settled in on Mal's bed, resisting the urge to just take her hand and hold it tight.  
  
"...Mal, listen. Your powers are amazing. All you're seeing is the danger, and the destruction, but fire is also warm and beautiful. We need its heat to survive. And yeah, too much heat is a bad thing...except when it comes to you and me."  
  
Evie smiled a flirty smile, and Mal couldn't help but chuckle.  
  
"You lose control because you're afraid," Evie went on. "And it isn't just your powers, when someone is afraid of  _anything_  it has control over them."  
  
"...I don't know how to not be afraid," Mal murmured.  
  
Of her own volition, she moved closer to Evie. Even if the distance had been her idea, it wasn't as if Mal had  _liked_  being apart from her.  
  
"I'm not afraid of you," Evie said simply. "Because I think your powers are incredible, and magical. I'd love to see you do more and more with them, because this is a brand new part of you, and all parts of you are special to me. They should be special to you, too. It's who you are."  
  
Finally, it seemed that Evie was getting that stubborn side to listen, to at least hear her words. Mal's eyes were actually on her, not cast away ashamedly, and it was clear that she was taking in what Evie was saying.  
  
"You and I are just starting out as a couple. It's brand new, and sometimes scary. Sometimes I get scared too," Evie said. "We already have enough to be anxious about without you having to worry about your powers on top of it all. We're going to get closer, we're going to want to—"  
  
"I know," Mal nodded.  
  
"And are you going to let your fear of yourself stop us?"  
  
"...I won't want it to."  
  
"...Can I have your hand?"  
  
Evie reached out, waiting. Mal was visibly reluctant, but met her halfway, and after a week too long they were hand-in-hand again.  
  
"You see this as the hand that can hurt me. I see it as the hand that's always held me, always run its fingers through my hair. Why can't you see it as that too?"  
  
Mal's breath caught in her throat. She moved slowly, carefully, yet quickly enough to get where she wanted to be without losing her nerve. She freed her hand from Evie's, and cupped her soft cheek instead. Her thumb trailed back and forth across Evie's skin in such a tender touch, the same tender touch that Evie always adored. The palm of Mal's hand was already warm, but Evie thought nothing of it.  
  
"Don't be scared, Mal."  
  
"I'm trying not to be," Mal promised.  
  
Evie smiled at her. A welcome sight.  
  
"I used to know a Mal who wanted nothing more than to hurt me. I seem to recall a certain closet full of bear traps?"   
  
Mal looked genuinely startled at the long-forgotten memory.  
  
"That isn't me anymore," she insisted. "And it never will be again."  
  
"Aha. You hear that? 'And it never will be again'."  
  
When Evie kissed her, Mal didn't flinch. Quite on the contrary, she brought Evie closer. And Evie didn't shy away from her, the way Mal was sure she would. She truly wasn't afraid. With a hand on Mal's chest she felt her heartbeat, felt it pounding with emotion as Mal was certainly getting hotter and hotter.  
  
"You're okay, Mal," Evie said, laying kisses up and down Mal's neck.  
  
Mal closed her eyes and shuddered despite the heat. She could feel the flames building, threatening, but Evie's words were clear in her head; don't be afraid, don't let it control. It was still just as easy to give herself over to Evie, to empty out all thoughts and concerns and worries as they held each other.  
  
"You're warm," Evie laughed, not fearing the fire. "It's comfortable."  
  
"...Comfortable?"  
  
The word would never have been Mal's first choice, but of course it would be Evie's. Of course she'd find Mal comfortable in every way, shape, and form.  
  
"Still okay?" Evie asked.  
  
Mal answered with a rough kiss, running her tongue along Evie's bottom lip. The next wave of heat burned through her, hotter than the last.  
  
"Are  _you?"_  Mal asked right back. The fire couldn't hurt her the way it could hurt Evie, and she was sure her skin was beginning to scorch even through her clothes.  
  
"I am. Do you feel scared?"  
  
"A little," Mal admitted. "Aren't I too hot?"  
  
Evie's smile was devilish.  
  
"Well, in some ways. You just have to stay relaxed, M."  
  
"Easier said than done," Mal chuckled nervously.  
  
Evie began to relax herself, her kisses becoming sweet and gentle.  
  
"See, Mal? Nothing happened this time," she pointed out in between kisses.  
  
"...You're right," Mal realized.  
  
She felt the heat of her powers just as intensely as before, yet Evie hadn't gotten hurt.  
  
"You aren't dangerous, M. Not to me, at least. Chad's cape, on the other hand..."  
  
Mal's laughter changed from nervous to genuine as she held Evie in her arms.  
  
"We'll just take it slow, Mal. Whatever you need, until you feel like you've really gotten your powers under control."  
  
"...Thank you, Evie."  
  
Mal wanted to cry out of gratitude of Evie's unwavering understanding. One of the perks of falling for a best friend, she supposed. Evie wouldn't leave her side, let her struggle through this newfound magic alone. Evie would be right there with her the way she'd always been, and always would be. And at the end of the day, Mal would hold her, and touch her, and not be afraid in the slightest.  
  
Evie sat back on the bed, keeping her fingers woven within Mal's.  
  
"And you know, if you ever need target practice while you're training your powers, Chad has a whole shelf of 3D-printed crowns just  _asking_ to be lit up," she slyly mentioned.  
  
These feelings for Evie were all very, very new indeed. How frightening it was for Mal to think of having to navigate them along with having to navigate life with the ability to control fire. Frightening...but exciting.  
  
"E, someday I'm going to tell you that I love you. And the scariest part won't be worrying if I'll set the room on fire saying it."  
  
"If it's any consolation, someday I'm going to tell you that I love you too," Evie said with pink cheeks. "So, nothing to fear. Right?"  
  
Several silent promises made between the two. All of them sealed with one tender kiss and a carefree smile that Mal didn't think she'd be wearing anytime in the near future. She should've realized sooner what she'd really known all along—things were never quite as scary when Evie's hand was in hers.  
  
"...Right, E. Nothing to fear."


End file.
